Many vehicle manufactures design their vehicles such that environmental noise (e.g., road noise) is dampened before reaching the cabin (i.e., the vehicle's interior). To dampen or prevent external environmental noise from reaching the cabin, a vehicle may use passive techniques (e.g., noise dampening materials and designs) and/or active techniques (e.g., noise cancellation system, active noise control, and the like). In fact, many manufactures advertise the quite ride of their vehicles provided by using the passive and/or active techniques for reducing cabin noise.
Reducing cabin noise, however, is not selective. That is, the passive or active techniques attenuate the various environmental audio indiscriminately. Sounds that the driver or passengers may want to hear are attenuated just as much as sounds that the occupants do not want to hear. Accordingly, reducing cabin noise by attenuating all environmental sounds may have a detrimental effect on an occupant's driving experience.